INSPIRED II

A DOSE OF GOOD MEDICINE

   This is a new top to a post that drew much interest. It has been revised. We gathered these images on a visit with dear friends. It was a tonic.
   Now this focus is brought to our current political rumble, which includes a fight with the media. We'll revisit that below. 

INSPIRED

   Frequent readers remember I'm a First Amendment fanatic. I'm the kind of goof who reads the Declaration of Independence each Fourth of July, and who is adamant about protecting our liberties and who holds dear the extraordinary set of bones upon which this republic hangs-the Constitution.

  All of us are entitled the full extension of  rights, privileges and responsibilities laid out for us by the founders, protected by sacrifices through generations and increased by our perpetually growing enlightenment. 

   So Washington DC is the touchstone, in so many ways.

   Ingrained in the raison d'être of these monuments and memorials are intellects, sacrifices, leadership, vision and a devotion to an ideal-a nation where all live in equality. 
   Personalities who have risen to lead are honored, beyond their days, as a challenge to us in our time.  These stone reminders are a tonic. We are humbled and inspired by what we see and remember.

Memorial to journalists killed in the line of duty.

Newseum, Washington DC

     Service personnel and journalists have given much, including their all so that we may know and live free. They inspire me.
   Politicians who rise above petty politics to move the arc of history as statesmen inspire me.

    Temples that celebrate the best of our creative dreams,  reaching and artistic output, inspire and offer a healing balm.

    And so our divided and dysfunctional Congress, beleaguered Presidency and questionable Supreme Court do not detract from the wide and long sweep of the true greatness that can and has emerged in and from this Capitol of human longings and achievement. It is not perfect.  None of the heroes who are memorialized were perfect. Like all of us, they had feet of clay and were made of the same star matter. 
   We have eras of which to be proud and periods of shame and embarrassment but it is always on a human scale, moving toward an ideal, an inch, a day, a moment at a time.

    So I take from all of it an inspiration and renewed zeal to stay stalwart in my belief that all of us, regardless of birthright, are children under the same heaven, brothers and sisters of planet earth. I may not like you, I may not agree with you, but neither that, nor how and who you were born should stand between you and full equality, even in a church.

    Your color, your gender, your ethnic heritage, your sexual orientation, your physical or mental challenges simply make you a human being, entitled to the full privileges of life.

    I thank the good Lord for a vision that it is so, and for a nation where we get better at making it so and for a place where we build monuments and temples to remind us to make sure it is always so and to recall those who have said so.
   
    Afterthoughts in this political season. Reporters and other journalists have been barred by the Trump campaign. That is stupid and it is wrong. It is also critical to note.
   If there is anything our generation should take from the history of 1933 forward is the rise of Hitler, his coopting of workers and his use of power. We witness warning signs and similar behavior. Trying to manipulate the press is troubling.
    Recourse? Some have suggested a fight back-refuse to cover his candidacy. If one outlet is barred, no coverage from everyone else. That may "vent," but it's not right nor effective.
My friend Frank, who hosted our Washington visit observes it keenly.
      "The media is always stuck between principles (protesting this kind of treatment) and responsibility (continuing to report on craziness.)
     This election offers American voters an opportunity to do a reality check and to think in view of US history and all that implies.
     

    See you down the trail.

VIRTUAL STOCKING STUFFERS-FREE SMILES-KITSCH-POWER OF THE SKY-THE WEEKENDER

LAUGH A LITTLE-CRY A LITTLE

AND WONDER 

   Two films to move you during this season and to give you reasons to celebrate, in a real way.

    THE BOOK THIEF, directed by Brian Percival with great acting from Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson and a stunning child, Sophie Nelisse as Liesel Meminger, gives you sensitivity and love with force and power. 

    Set against the holocaust and the terror of Nazi Germany the clarity of human decency shines brightly. This film also goes a long way in answering a question that has long haunted, how and why did the German people tolerate or coexist with what we know was a great evil? This is a masterful attempt an understanding, plus so much more that will move you. 

     Author Markus Zusak does an extraordinary job of plumbing the human soul in this brilliant work.

    PHILOMENA is highly recommended if only to see the work of Judi Dench as Philomena, an Irish woman who after 50 years seeks the son that a convent forced her to give away. Dench is worthy of an Oscar nomination. Her counter part in the adventure is superbly played by Steve Coogan, who wrote the screen play. Coogan as a cynical former journalist teams with the devout, tough but troubled Dench to learn the fate of her son, in essence stolen from her by a maniacal head Nun, Sister Hildegarde played brilliantly by Barbara Jefford.  

     Director Stephen Frears delivers a few curves and does an insightful job of pricking at American culture, phony Reagan administration matters and evil Catholic practices. And, this is as they say, inspired by true events.  The credits match the real characters to the film events.

     This is a great film.

KITSCHMAS?

TRANSFORMATION

remembering there are many who struggle

LOOKING UP

FRAMING THE SKY

    See you down the trail.

DOWNTON ABBEY TALK BACK & A FINAL STOP ON THE GRATITUDE TRAIL-THE GREATEST GENERATION

ENTERTAINING HISTORY

     Their off and on romance engaged us and once they managed to get past all the obstructions we took delight in their marriage.  The birth of their child brought us no end of joy and then suddenly and shockingly Matthew was killed in a freak auto accident leaving Lady Mary a widow with a baby.

     Apparently many of us told Godfather Julian Fellowes we were unhappy with the plot-line he had crafted for his inhabitants of Downton Abbey, but in serialized drama, even elegant British Drama, soap operas need a few twists to keep us tuned in.

      The promotional season is underway and we countdown to the beginning of 2014 to see how our characters from the early 20th century transfer into the 1920's.  It is after all a century ago that we are so engrossed by.  Downton Abbey is a hit in 200 nations and is translated widely. 

      Though it is all fiction, Downton Abbey teaches history in a marvelous and rich way.  The British Empire is fading as the English aristocracy bumps into changing mores and social values and even technology.  Ideas of liberation, freedom, class discrimination, wealth transfer and management all perk along in the intricate script and plot turns. I was one of those guys who loved history back in high school, but oh how I wish teacher Donald Foreman could have played a few videos, as engrossing as Downton Abbey.

      Yes, it's only TV, but such good TV!  A masterful opiate for we masses. But still, did they really have to kill off Matthew?! And yes, we'll be there to see how poor Lady Mary copes.

OOPS

    Well, I goofed and apparently a few hundred of you also missed it.  Last week in a Thanksgiving post, I paid tribute to these "Turkeys."  Trouble is, I am told, they are Peacocks.  Sorry about that. Now, how is it that so many of you didn't catch me on it?  I guess we all need an editor, eh?

OF THE REASONS WE COUNT

MY MOTHER AND FATHER AND THEIR PEERS
A Last Stop on the Gratitude Trail

     Americans have rightly embraced Tom Brokaw's acclamation of the WW II generation as "the Greatest Generation."
     My father Karl and my mother Mary Helen played their part. Dad was in the infantry in the South Pacific.  Mom was like thousands of other women, waiting and praying for their men to come home from war.  When I made my first visit to the World War II memorial, I was there to pay respects to my parents and their peers, most of whom are gone.
     More than 16 Million Americans were involved, in some way in World War II.

   At first I felt a shudder of loss, seeing the 4,048 gold stars. Each star represented 100 deaths. More than 400 thousand American service personnel died.  After the shudder I felt an inexpressible sense of gratitude.

   This is a place you'll want to visit, next time you are in DC.

   And so we transition from the season of gratitude to the merriment of the "Holiday Season."

   I hope you have a wonderful and meaningful season of Advent, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Solstice or even bah humbugging. Remember,'... you better not pout or you better not shout..."

    See you down the trail.

A PAINFUL TRUTH-A MODERN PROPHET...ON THE GRATITUDE TRAIL

OF THE REASONS WE COUNT
ADJUDICATING FILM MAKING

     Steve McQueen's 12 YEARS A SLAVE is an example of brilliant and ethical film making. It could be one of the most important films made.  Why?  Because it immerses the viewer in a vivid reality that must be embraced so the lessons are forever remembered and never repeated.

    This puts the hateful, ignorant, violent and destructive nature of American slavery out there with a force that crushes.  Yet the powerful dignity of humanity survives, carried in the heart of a man who is done so many wrongs and injustices you wish you could put your hands on the slavers, plantation owners and other allies of that horrible part of our history. 

    The acting is superb and the film making so extraordinary that you become an emotional captive of that era. You may never encounter cinema villains that provoke such dark rage in your heart. This film gathers you into a time and culture that enslaves your sense of hope and leaves you desperate as to how any human, let alone American citizens, could think, act and behave in such vile, brutal and evil ways, even while spouting Christianity. 

     We've all "studied" slavery, but we've never seen a window into that horrible human enterprise like this. Every performance was masterful and contributed to the stark approximation of truth, as history. Chiwetel Ejiofor who portrays the real man, Solomon Northrop must be a candidate for the Oscar.  His performance of the true life journey, while fighting desperately to retain dignity is something you'll never forget, nor are you likely ever to put away the frank retelling of a time in our past that should haunt us forever. 

                                  American Legacy

                        THE MODERN PROPHET

    Even now, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. remains a man of controversy. I revere his devotion to equality and his sacrificial leadership. To some, his memorial is controversial, but in my judgement it is appropriate, powerful and inspirational.

  Your approach to what appears to be a mountain leads you past this inscription from which Dr. King appears to emerge as you walk around it.

      At the time of his leadership I thought he was courageous and eloquent. Now his vision and sense of justice stand to challenge contemporary struggles.

      Despite the gains Dr. King helped to win, bigotry still
lurks and faith is perverted to target others who are "different."
      If I could bend cosmic reality or write an eternal script or even requisition a Divine justice, I'd have those slavers, plantation owners, overseers, racists, Klansmen, bigots, bullies, and their kind, through all time, sentenced to an eternity of undoing every bull whip strike, beating, lynching, rape, torment, hateful word, denial of liberty, separation of family, discriminatory law, humiliation, enslavement, fire hosing, bus and church bombing, demonstrator beating, and every vile and denigrating word spoken. Forever, they would be bound to such undoing. 

      The ages must be grateful for those who endured and who could still forgive. We can overcome. We should remember.

     See you down the trail.

MENTORS AND LEADERS-ON THE GRATITUDE TRAIL

OF THE REASONS WE COUNT

    Hasn't there been someone in your life who provided a special motivation or guidance?  A parent, teacher, coach, pastor, counselor, boss, or someone in a position to mentor you who left an imprint? 

    I've been lucky to have several. I think the first time I realized it was as a High School kid attending a statewide journalism workshop when a young teacher got through to me.  His advice was to read, a lot. Then he said pay attention to the pros.  If you read them, try to act like them, try to think like them, then you'll become one of them.  It happened.

    I wrote a letter to David Brinkley in my senior year of high school, asking his advice about a course of study in college.  He suggested history, economics, science, political science and said read, a lot.  He said you also need to learn to write, well. Years later over a lunch with Brinkley we laughed about how seriously I took his word. In an exquisite irony, just a few years before our lunch, Brinkley was on a panel of judges that awarded me a national Emmy Award. At the time his comment was that I had written "one of television's finest programs."  The award was for an investigative documentary on the Ku Klux Klan. 

     An early boss demonstrated a tireless pursuit of a story and a dedication to absolute honesty and an attempt at fairness and balance. 
     Bruce and Judy who demonstrated that a passion for
life and matters of the mind can and will lead you on a life long adventure.

     Earlier, a junior high school basketball coach taught me the power of drilling, over and over to improve a skill. And long before Phil Jackson got accolades for his "zen" coaching, my coach had us do"imaging," picturing or seeing ourselves perform well in individual skills and as a team.

     A little later I was taken into a group that some considered old fashioned or anachronistic. It was dedicated to teaching young men the skills of knighthood-chivalry, fidelity, courage, brotherly love, respect and devotion to learning. Older men, accomplished in many skills, guided us. One of those men, his name was Buddy, had a profound impact on all of us.

     Howard Stone and William Enright, two tall, powerful, intellectual, extraordinarily gifted theologians and pastors demonstrated how to weave intellect, faith, humor and humility into living a life of good.

     As an adult I met, read and studied John Wooden, the extraordinary coach and motivator. Wooden was more than a "Wizard of Westwood," he was a gentleman and teacher for the ages.

     Another true mentor was my father who showed me an absolute dedication to the principles of this democratic republic and fair play. I cannot tell you how many times I heard him invoke the Voltaire line, "I may disagree with what you say but will defend to death your right to say it."

     He was a true egalitarian and a man of a deep and guiding faith. "Make the most of each day," he said so many times, I hear myself saying that to my daughters.

     Mentors, in their own way, shaped, molded and guided.

     And there are others

HE SAVED THE UNION 

IT IS MORE THAN STONE

   Serious historians and just average Americans, in large measure, say Abraham Lincoln was the greatest American President. 

    Dad made sure that on our first trip to Washington, when I was a school boy, we got here after dark. There is a power that is beyond words when you behold this temple setting, washed in light. 

    There is a solemnity and greatness that is palpable.  

    It is fitting that this stone version of a giant of a man

looks toward the monument for another human who seemed to ascend to greatness by his acts to service and devotion to our national cause.  George Washington is paid tribute in another post.
     Count those who have guided you.  It will make you smile.
      See you down the trail.